Job Description

Overview of the Function

Freshfields is widely recognised as having the world’s leading practice in the area of international arbitration. This is a rare opportunity to work as part of a team that includes some of the world’s best known practitioners conducting some of the largest, most complex and high-profile arbitrations in the market. The group includes specialists in all areas of commercial and investor-state arbitrations, and in all the major industry sectors most relevant to international arbitration including corporate, construction, energy, financial services, telecommunications and public services. In Asia, the team’s caseload includes commercial and investor-state cases spanning Northeast, Southeast and South Asia, with a small team of international arbitration associates based in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong. In particular, this team has developed the region’s most active investor-state practice, with Singapore-based associates at the core of some of the most politically sensitive and legally complex international law disputes in Asia and the world.

Role summary/purpose of job

We currently are looking for a junior lawyer to join our international arbitration group in Singapore, and would be involved in a mix of investigations, litigation and international arbitration work. The lawyer, though junior, will be expected to play a key role in large cases and to manage smaller cases. She or he also should be interested in, and ultimately assume a key role in, business development activities. Because the team is small, a willingness to work hard and get involved in a variety of projects is essential. The team is non-hierarchical, and the associate will be required to work well under extreme pressure and to do so on her or his own initiative. Although based in Singapore, the successful candidate should have the flexibility to travel between, and support cases run from, Freshfields’ offices across Asia. We are looking for a lawyer committed to a career in international arbitration in the region. For this role, we are ideally seeking a fluent Korean speaker to support our heavy caseload of Korea-connected disputes (while also contributing across the practice more generally).

Key responsibilities and deliverables

• Conduct sophisticated international law research
• Draft analytical legal memoranda and client correspondence
• Contribute to drafting complex arbitration memorials and managing preparation of witness statements and expert reports
• Run discrete work streams (such as coordinating document reviews, managing witness meetings and coordinating filing of memorials) for high-value cases
• Research discrete questions of Singapore law in the context of international arbitrations
• Support cases run from Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong, and the global network
• Prepare client presentations and publications, and assist in exploring business development opportunities

Key requirements (Communication/skills/experience)

Essential

• High quality lawyer with strong technical and commercial experience from a leading law firm
• Excellent English communication skills including reading and writing.
• Relevant experience in common law jurisdiction
• Strong intellectual skills and academic qualifications

Desirable

• Confident and self-motivated, with the ability to work independently
• Culturally sensitive and excited by the challenge of working with clients (and counterparties) from diverse backgrounds
• Able to take on a high degree of responsibility and manage a challenging workload, which calls for long and unpredictable hours
• Fluency in Korean will be highly regarded for this role